If you happen to be around Cullman this Saturday, drop by; several of us are playing Bluegrass at Berkeley Bob’s Coffee House at 1pm, Saturday, September 7th, 2013. It’s at 304 1st Avenue Southeast, Cullman, AL.

Actually, we are ‘practicing in public’ for a bluegrass wedding we are providing music for in October. At any rate, it should be a fun time; come on out!

I know this is sort of late notice – it’s this evening – but my friends Cindy Musselwhite, Bud Teague and company (Solid Blue is the band’s name) are playing at The Flying Monkey tonight. Check ’em out!

One of my students related the story to me the other day of a recent business trip he took. He brought along his banjo and was playing it in the hotel, complete with picks.

As you might suspect, he got a phone call from the front desk: with all due respect as a paying guest, could he kindly stop?

He then enquired as to whether the offended party had objected to his volume, or to the quality of his playing; but alas, the joke was lost on the front desk employee!

That reminds me of when I was learning to play. After that first summer (at home – poor family!) I went back to the dorm at college. I played constantly, with picks, in the dorm. Such gall I had back then!

But I know; if you are driven to do something, you ARE going to find a way, and a little complaining from those around you isn’t so high a price to pay if you are achieving your goals.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, just remember two things:

1 – playing without picks for a day or two isn’t going to ruin your playing. Much longer than that, and it will feel a little odd and clumsy to your fingers when you go back to picks, but it is nothing a day or two of effort can’t remedy.

2 – Use a mute. These are small, massive things you can clamp on to the bridge to dampen the vibrations and mute the volume of the banjo. Similar to a violin mute, I believe some commercially made mutes are available. Failing that, just get two old-fashioned clothes pins and clamp them on to either side of the bridge. That’s what I have always done. Well, except for when I was in college!

I must declare here: the banjo is a throughly fascinating thing. Whether playing Bluegrass, Old-Time, Folk, Jazz, or any other genre, it has a certain fascination, even a mystery, about it. And not only in sound, but in looks as well. Karen Lynn has described the sound as a ‘half-barbaric twang’ in her excellent, scholarly book by the same phrase.

But the intrigue goes beyond simply auditory and visual aspects of an odd object. There’s something more that makes the banjo a mysterious thing. Many people have stated that this is the main thing that attracted them to wanting to play the banjo, thus starting their relationship with me, also. My students and I have long discussed some of these. Here, I’d like to recall and assemble all the talking points on why the mystique surrounding the banjo.

I’ve categorized these points roughly as I have in several other blogs dealing with various qualities of our instrument: Visual, Auditory, and, in this case, Other.

1. VisualThat 5th string half way up the neck. Supposedly added by a Mr Joel Sweeney in 1836, although there are now historical indications it was added much earlier.

Nevertheless, no other American instrument has this 5th string; although other, exotic instruments in the world have something similar. These other instruments with sympathetic strings only serve to reinforce an alternate, exotic appearance in the banjo.

It’s a visually complex instrument. Often, it also has various ‘frills’, such as inlays (more than you typically see on either a guitar or mandolin), extra carvings (such as on the heel, neck or resonator) and peghead ornamentation. Having a drum, it also has lugs for tensioning the drum head, adding to the complex look.

2. AuditoryRolls. Created with the advent of Scruggs style, rolls may be 3, 4 or more notes in length before repeating. Since these rolls are played with the thumb, index and middle fingers, different fingers will take lead notes in a manner that is undecypherable to someone who doesn’t play an instrument in finger- picking style (Scruggs style banjo, Cross picking a mandolin or guitar, or Chet Atkins style guitar, for instance).

3-finger rolls in 2/4 and 4/4 time. Here’s where syncopation starts to enter the picture. Three note rolls, repeated within a 2 or 4 beat measure makes for an off-kilter effect that is harder for our brains to process.

The 5th string is used as a drone. In the dominant style, Scruggs style, the 5th string is never fretted, giving it an almost subconscious root note. Once again, this is unique in American music.

These 3 points above are interrelated: a syncopated roll that may or may not be off-kilter, with an occasional drone note that comes out of nowhere. Add to that the fact that we usually think of notes coming from an acoustic instrument by means of a flat pick as opposed to the actual process of finger picking; no wonder our brains cannot decompile the process of playing a banjo.

There are strings stretched across a drumhead. This is the fundamental definition of a banjo. This is what gives it that signature ‘twang’. Even if you take another instrument, such as a mandolin or dulcimer, and place a drum head in the body, the sound becomes more that of a banjo than whatever the other instrument was.

Quick decay of the tone. Inherent in the basic physics of the aforementioned string across a drumhead; our ears define that charisteristic banjo sound as also having a quick decay, giving it that plunky effect. Interestingly, if you increase the mass of the object separating the string from the drumhead (the bridge) it will increase the sustain of the note, giving the banjo a considerably different sound.

3. Other
You’ve heard the saying about the whole being greater than the sum of the parts? That metaphor fits logically here as well.

The Banjo’s rural background. Like all things rural, there is no slick marketing. If it is worth something, go find it yourself. And don’t spoil the secret by telling everyone on Earth, either – just tell your neighbor.

Perception of being on the ‘wrong side of the tracks’. Ever since the days when the banjo was associated with plantations, slaves and minstrel music, it has been perceived of as less-than-ideal. That personality has stuck with the banjo even to this day, despite having changed hands into different ‘owners’ several times. Owners have included slaves, minstrel performers, young ladies of proper upbringing who wished to rebel against Victorian society, the isolated rural population in general, hippies, and now practioners of Bluegrass; what a motley crew!

Perceived simplicity. Especially true of the older styles of playing, before Mr. Scruggs, conjuring up images of the ‘Old South’. A simplicity that is still enthusiastically embraced by many. This is a paradox, I’ll admit. How can an instrument be both undecypherable and at the same time simple? And yet that is the perception many of us have of it.

Multiplicity of tunings. Some of which are very distinct: modal tunings, minor tunings and such. Few instruments have such a wealth of tunings. Quite frankly, as I sit here I can’t think of another instrument that approaches the banjo in terms of the richness of tunings; traditional or modern.

History. History is closely integrated into many of the points as stated above, but there is one more point to be made in regard to history. The recent history of the banjo is fairly well known. It came over from Africa with slaves and modifications have been made to it since that time to the extent that the original Banjar, or Akonting, or whatever came over here, is a very different instrument from the modern day bluegrass banjo. The banjo was not of European ancestry, as many other instruments were. Indeed, it was perhaps brought to Africa from the Middle East centuries before its journey to America. Were the sitar and sarod also ancestors to the banjo? In short, We know just enough history to allow for imagination to fill in the rest of the details.

I hope you’ve found these points as fascinating as I have in compiling them!

Back in December of 2009, I travelled to Denton, Texas to watch my oldest daughter Paige graduate from the University of North Texas. We had a grand time there, especially on the Denton County Courthouse square, with all the touristy type stores decked out for Christmas. And that used bookstore! You see, Denton, like many small Texas towns, had a opera house on the Square ages ago. This one, like all similar opera houses in Texas I know of, had fallen into disrepair. So it was converted into, at present, a huge bookstore. What a wonderful place to browse in!

Anyway, I digress.

I had also heard that there was a very interesting street sculpture just east of downtown Dallas of a banjo man. Armed with information from the Internet, I set out to find him on the way back, and sure enough, there he sat in the Deep Ellum District at the southwest corner of North Good Latimer and Gaston Avenue. Quite an imposing figure, I have a few photos of him here, along with yours truly picking a number with him.

The Deep Ellum district in Dallas was once a famous venue for Blues musicians. It appears its renown has diminished in recent decades, though.

And alas, when I went to Google street view just now, the Banjoman is barely seen on the higher-altitude view, but in the street view (seemingly newer as the trees are bigger), it appears that some construction is going on at that corner. Could it be he has been removed?

There is another similar ‘tinman’ elsewhere in Deep Ellum, two blocks northwest at Good Latimer and Miranda Street; this fellow appears to be a singer, not a banjo player.

As you progress in playing the banjo, your skill level will increase. Simple enough. But realize that that increase in skill level doesn’t come just as a result of your having practiced for a long time. You also need feedback; something that will tell you when you are going wrong. And it should tell you early in the process so you don’t have to relearn any more than is necessary.

Feedback, as Dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/feedback?s=t) defines it, is “knowledge of the results of any behavior, considered as influencing or modifying further performance”. Good feedback is anything that helps you improve your playing by successfully delivering on this definition.

Feedback can be categorized as Auditory, Tactile, or Visual. No, smell doesn’t count.

Auditory: This includes Pitch, Timbre, Volume, Intonation, or Rhythm as sources of feedback.

Types here are recordings of your playing, listening to yourself live (the least effective, BTW), or a metronome. Any one of these could be areas for improvement, but some can be very tricky to even find a clue that you are off.

I had a problem with this when I first started playing the banjo. I didn’t realize that my timing was too variable. (Yes, you can vary your timing, just a little (playing ahead or playing behind it’s called), but that is purposeful, and very little is needed for the effect; I’m talking about the much more common pitfall of simply having bad timing.) I didn’t realize I had it until I heard myself on a recording, then I knew what to do (get a metronome and use it on a regular basis). It was just a matter of knowing what the problem was in the first place.

Tactile: Fretting fingers, picking fingers and hand, and to a lesser extent, you arms and shoulders. The most overlooked source of information, especially in the tips of the fretting fingers. Train yourself to listen to what your fingers are telling you. Pay attention to the following.

What your fretting hand is telling you:
1) I’m exerting pressure on the fretboard with my fingers
2) There is a wire between my finger & the fretboard
3) I’m also touching something like a wire on the side
4) I’m stretching that wire underneath (up or down)
5) I’m touching a fret (purposefully beneath or accidentally on the side)

Traing yourself to be aware of each of these fretting hand signals above.

6) Your calluses. Don’t have any? Then you probably aren’t getting enough practice! BTW, too much water on your hands causes calluses to not form as easily and to go away quicker.

What your picking hand is saying:
1) picks too loose or they fall off easily. Get a pair of needle-nose pliers and spend 10 minutes adjusting them. Get all the ‘air pockets’ out; the space between your fingers and the picks, so that there is almost total contact with your fingers. Make sure they are tight enough as well.
2) Picking is too forceful – lighten up and find how smooth and gracefully you can play
3) Picking is too soft – play with confidence! It will sound so much better.
4) Aching hands and fingers. A certain amount of this is inevitable in learning something new, but soon (just like with riding a bike, or lifting weights, etc.), this should go away. If it is still a problem, make sure you aren’t holding your hand in an unnatural position. Here’s where an instructor can really help out.

Your arms and shoulders: Same thing here in terms of unforseen stresses and strains. Make sure everything is in a natural position and comfortable.

Also, you should know that good quality modern bluegrass banjos are, literally, THE heaviest stringed instruments that you actually pick up (yes, an upright bass is heavier; thankfully it sits on the floor!). If you aren’t used to holding one while standing for long periods of time, then your back and shoulders are probably going to get strained. Gradually get used to it by standing more and more as you practice.

Visual: A lot of this category overlaps with others (auditory and tactile). I think we have covered them well enough above. These include:
1) Metronome
2) Positions of hands and fingers
3) Stance and posture, etc.

In addition, different kinds of feedback may be from yourself (that is, your own eyes, ears and fingers), or from others (an Instructor or other person).

Just remember these points in closing:
1) Anything you can detect or know can be considered feedback
2) Almost all feedback can be helpful
3) Any gained feedback requires a response in order to be put to effective use
4) That response must be positive

This is actually quite funny. I get these sort of emails every month or so. Obviously these are spam at best; phishing attempts in a worse scenario. These are email requests I get from my website, because one of my email aliases is out there for people to contact me.

Today, I’d like to share some of these ridiculous-to-the-point-of-being-funny spams I have gotten requesting “music lessons”! As you can see, the spelling and grammar are dead give-aways. When they don’t ever mention a banjo or mandolin (they just say ‘instrument’) you also know.

More often than not, the theme is that their son or daughter (typically 14 years old) is coming to the states and they want to know you instrument (duh!), rates, availability, etc.

Read on for a few classic examples. I’ve included a few comments with <> brackets.

#1 This is a typical theme. A teenage son or daughter. Coming to the states. Bad grammar. This one also refers to the son named John as ‘she’.

Hello,
How are you today?
I got your contact email while searching for Music and dance teacher on the internet. I have a son (John) who is interested studying music. John doesn’t have any previous in the instrument but he is ready to learn. She’s 15 year old with very sharp brain <well, that’s good, because ‘she’ sure didn’t get it from dear ‘ol dad :)>
If you will agreed to accept John as your student,please get back to me with the following information..
Total fees for one months lessons(Two hours lessons in a week)?
Your teaching location and phone number?
The instrument you teach?

I want the lessons to start by 5th of November.

PLEASE DONT REPLY ME IF YOU ARE UNAVAILABLE TEACHER. Looking forward to hear from you.

#2

Hello,

I will like to know if you have available slots/times to teach my son for lesson 3 time a week. It will be useful if you could get back to me with your area of Expertize/Specialization and also your charges.
Expecting to hear from you soon so as possible to proceed with the arrangement.

Mrs <American-sounding name was here>

#3 This kind is interesting as they actually state some banjo-related information upfront. Horrible spelling, though; you know it did a number on my WordPress spell checker. From looking at the To: line in the email, it was also sent to many other banjo teachers, several being friends of mine. An obvious spam.

hello my name is will liams amd from uk, i saw your advert on www.banjoteacher.com and i want you to teach my son who is cooming down to Alabama for holiday how to play guiter or any thumb style rhythm guitar orScruggs, so i will like to hear from you soon..you can contact me at <a Yahoo email here> thanks

I wonder – how many successful phishing attempts come about from such emails? I don’t get enough to be annoying; maybe one a month. Still, it is amazing that people still propagate such stuff.